Tall Trees Grove Trailhead Parking Tall Trees Access Road, McKinleyville, CA 95519

"Great hike in the redwoods. As others mention you need to make a reservation ahead of time. It was easy to do online and they send you a gate code the day before your hike. The road to the trailhead was too narrow for passing in places but was in good condition. No problems with parking at the trailhead. Well marked trail. The start is all downhill making the return all uphill but honestly it wasn't bad. Lots of benches along the way if you want to rest or just take in the view. The loop portion at the bottom was flat. Lots of big trees and fresh air. No noise from cars. Well worth the extra time of getting a permit and driving to the trailhead."

"Beautiful hike. Easy hike down to the loop. Moderately intense hike back up at the trailhead. Online permit needed to get code for gate to drive there. No fee needed for permit. Must get permit 24 hours in advance."

"We did the trail on 9/15/23. I know this is an unpopular opinion but it was just ok... I was actually a little disappointed, especially after seeing the Sequoias, until we drove through Avenue of the Giants on our way down the coast. All this to say that if you don't get a permit or can't do the steep incline of the trail, go drive Avenue of the Giants not too far away and you'll be in awe of the redwoods."

"So, let me get a couple of things out of the way upfront. The bathrooms at the trailhead were great. I mean, for a bathroom, they were decently clean and well stocked with paper. Bring your own hand sanitizer if you’re worried. Also, for those that complain about having to get a permit and/or too many people on the trail, I come from a very touristy town and I wish the town did more crowd control at special places. We had a morning permit and we saw quite a few people on the trail, both coming and going, but mostly we were by ourselves. Several groups were coming up the trail after overnight camping. Most of them had kids and it was cool to see little ones out in the woods. We walked out to the beach after the loop and sat by the river. The trees are almost beyond description. Majestic in all their stages of growth and death, they provide an opportunity to think big thoughts about our own lives and purpose. There are lots of places to see the coastal redwoods, but few where you can spend quality time in their presence. Well worth the hassle of a permit and a code. A side note: myrtle wood grows abundantly amongst the redwoods here. Fragrant and symbiotic, they were such an added joy to this exquisite landscape."

"Really beautiful trail through some old growth redwoods. The hike back up from the grove has a slight grade, so relatively easy. We arrived ona Monday at 930AM and didn't see anyone else until we started hiking back up from the grove. Having the place to ourselves was a really great experience. Parking lot was getting full by the time we left (about 1130)."